Beginnings, Banter, and Bliss
by hippi
Summary: Harry wakes up to the reality that he likes Ginny. This is the summer after fifth year. I don't think I'm much good at summaries, so just read please.
1. Default Chapter

A/N~ I don't own anything except the plot. All of my characters (for now) belong to J.K. Rowling, bless her soul. This is my first fic, so be kind. Please.  
  
~*~ Reminiscing~*~  
  
Harry sighed. It was going to be a long night. What with Dudley's diet and Petunia's perpetual chattering about the neighbors, Harry was pretty sure he would go insane before long. That is, if he wasn't insane already, which he was pretty sure he was. Why else would his two best friends be falling in love without either of them noticing? Why else would he be falling in love with his best friend's little sister? His thoughts turned to Ginny immediately, as they had very often these past few weeks. He hadn't seen her in what seemed like forever, and it was pure torture. Harry smiled, thinking of when he had first thought of her as anything more than Ron's little sister; it seemed so long ago, like he had loved her forever, but really it was only two months ago. He sighed at the memory…….  
  
"Hello Harry," Ginny had smiled a little sarcastically. "How are you this fine evening?"   
  
Harry had just laughed, especially considering that the reason they were both there was because of detention. It turned out that Ginny had quite a temper, not very different from her mother's and brother's. One thing was for sure, she definitely hadn't inherited her father's placidness.   
  
Anyway, Malfoy had insulted Ron's poverty one time too many, because Ginny and Harry had both snapped at the same instant.   
  
" Eat slugs Malfoy!" Ginny had screamed, taking a lesson from her brother, although her spell was actually effective on the victim, not the caster.   
  
Meanwhile, Harry had yelled "Victoria's Secretio!" and Malfoy was suddenly ambushed by every pair of underwear he owned.   
  
Harry was a little nervous when he saw that a few of Malfoy's underwear were quite lacy, and resolved to pity him more than usual, since he obviously had a few identity problems. Back in detention, Harry found he was having quite a good time with little Ginny. They both had been laughing non-stop all night, and were almost finished with the dungeon cleaning. Harry found he didn't want the night to end, he wanted to stay forever with Ginny, just the two of them laughing, protected from the rest of the world. He hadn't thought of Voldemort or Sirius all evening and was pleasantly surprised to find that Ginny had this effect on him, a very calming effect. After every move she made he noticed how the different shades of light caught her hair and made it shine. Some would say her hair was red, but Harry knew better; it was millions of different colors, each one showing itself whenever she turned. She had a great smile; he knew that after the hours of laughter they were going through. Just then she waved a hand in front of his face.   
  
"Harry?" she asked. "Are you ok?"   
  
Harry didn't quite know how to answer, considering his face was inches from Ginny's, and that was enough to make him lose shred of rational thought. She stared at him, either wondering if she needed to put him in a padded cell or feeling the same way he did. The moment was interrupted when Professor McGonagall came into the room next door very noisily, indicating that perhaps she'd had too much pumpkin juice at dinner. For the rest of the year, Harry and Ginny avoided each other……………  
  
  
  
Harry sighed again. Why on earth did McGonagall feel the need to come get them at that exact moment?! If only she had waited ten or fifteen minutes, who knows what could have happened? He might be writing to Ginny right at this very moment, love letters filled with sap! "Wait a minute," Harry thought. "Why don't I write to Ginny? I mean, what's the harm? No one will suspect a thing." After those encouraging thoughts, Harry got through dinner much easier. In fact, it seemed to fly by quickly. Too quickly for Harry's taste. He was feeling a bit nervous. Actually, a bit was an understatement, probably the understatement of the year. After dinner, Harry trudged up to his room, nervous, but determined.   
  
Dear Ginny, ………………… 


	2. Decisions, Decisions

A/N ~ I hope the last one was ok. I think I sounded a bit stiff in my previous author's notes and bio. I'm not, really; quite weird in real life. I believe the term my teachers like to use is "creative." Anyway, Thank-you's to reviewers are at the A/N on the bottom. I think I'll update around once a week. Be sure to send angry e-mails if I forget about y'all. I own nothing. Well, I had this rubber band, but my vice principal took it away, because he thought I was going to hit people with it. I wonder where he got that insane notion. *giggle* On with the fic.  
  
Harry sighed in frustration. Two bloody hours and this was where he was! Staring at the words "Dear Ginny…." for two hours might just be enough to kill you, he decided. Focusing on the otherwise blank piece of parchment, Harry wished for a spell that would help him to start a conversation easily, but not sound too eager, and yet sound interested… Was that possible? "Argh, hormones are difficult little buggers," Harry thought exasperatedly. "So Gin, how's the weather at the Burrow?", "Cast any good Bat Bogey Hexes lately?", and "Have Fred or George knocked you down any staircases recently?" were a few conversation starters Harry had in mind, but somehow they looked even stupider on the parchment than they sounded in his head.   
  
  
  
Another hour went by, and he found himself surrounded by a growing pile of crumpled papers. (A/N ~ This is how I feel when I'm trying to write about you, Harry!). Suddenly, it hit him like a bludger to the back of the head. Ron and Hermione! He'd write about how annoyed he was about them skirting around their feelings for each other! Thinking it through, he decided to test the waters first by asking Ginny if she felt that Ron and Hermione liked each other. This way, he could buy himself some time to think up an elaborate plan to get the idiots together while spending some, erm, quality time with Ginny. It was like killing two birds with one stone.   
  
Little did he know that Hermione was writing a letter of her own at that same moment…  
  
A/N ~ Thanks to all of my reviewers. A few of your reviews got deleted when I fixed the spacing, and I'm really sorry about that. Fortunately, my computer saved the reviews, so your thank-you's will be included below too. Sorry for this chapter being so short. The next one ought to be up soon.  
  
'Mione Weasley – Thanks 'Mione for all the help and everything. Luv ya.  
  
Tynkerbell – Thanks for the advice. I knew my paragraphs were messed up, I just didn't know how to fix them. Hopefully, I corrected my mistakes..  
  
Raphaela 667 – Thanks, I did fix the spacing. I meant for this to happen sometime in the weeks between the Department of Mysteries and the train ride home. I just wanted it to be something J.K. left out, I guess, but I suppose it would be sort of AU.   
  
Angelina Heart – Thank you!!! Goodness, you're my new best friend! Thanks loads for your words of encouragement, I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. : )  
  
Jlatmill – Thanks. I was feeling unsure of myself, but I feel much better now.   
  
Ok, I think that's everybody. If you're not on here, I'm really sorry. Just e-mail me and I'll add you ASAP. 


	3. Great Minds Think Alike

Disclaimer ~ I own nothing. These are J.K. Rowling's characters, and the talking to herself thing I got from KelQueenscove, who wrote one of my favorite H/G fics ever, Open Your Eyes. Read it A.S.A.P.  
  
A/N ~ Hey guys, I'm updating for a number of reasons, but especially because my review number hit seven and stopped dead. Anyway, I wanted to ask y'all a question. You see, I have a few other fics with only a couple of chapters for each one. Should I just finish this one and go one at a time, or should I post all of them and try my best to update on all of them regularly? Answer in reviews please. Thanks! ~ Hippi  
  
Great Minds Think Alike  
  
Hermione was having a brain freeze, something extremely uncommon in her lifestyle. The frightening thing was, she was having those total blank-outs more and more often lately. Thinking about Ron seemed to do that to her. Ron… His freckles standing out when he yelled at her, his red hair mussed slightly from where she had smacked him in the back of the head, his goofy grin as he apologized. *Sigh* At the sound of her audible sigh, Hermione snapped out of it.   
  
"Now I understand why they call it lovesick." Hermione thought.   
  
"You mean because it's making me sick?" asked a voice in her head.   
  
"No!" she answered furiously. "Because you act strangely, space out, and talk to yourself!"  
  
"Oh, that hurts."  
  
"Bloody hell, one crush on a guy and I turn into Sméagol!"   
  
"Ooh, Ooh, you be Sméagol and I'll be Gollum, ok?!"   
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Hermione dear, is everything alright?" Hermione's mum called from the kitchen.  
  
"Fine, Mother. Just TRYING to write a letter." Hermione knew that had come out ruder than she had intended. After all, it wasn't her mum's fault that she, the most articulate student at Hogwarts, couldn't even manage to find a greeting in a letter she was writing to her best friend!   
  
"Whoa Hermione, calm down girl."  
  
"You again?! I said get out! I'd like some privacy in my own mind!"  
  
"Ok, ok, no need to get your knickers in a bundle."  
  
Hermione groaned inwardly. Her plight: she couldn't decide on a greeting for Ron. "Dear" sounded strange and formal. "Hey" sounded too informal. Finally, she decided on a "Hey Ron". After another few hours of deliberation, Hermione was finished. She, unlike Harry, had come up with a topic before she had started writing the letter.   
  
"Hey Ron,  
  
How's your summer? Mine's been pretty nice, we went to Majorca, but we ran into this strange fat woman with an extremely ugly dog. She seemed familiar somehow, but oh well. Anyway, enough idle chatter. Something has been bothering me a lot lately. Now, what I'm about to say might be a bit of a sensitive subject with you, considering Ginny is your sister, but I think that desperate times call for desperate measures. See, Gin is in love with Harry, and Harry with her. I just don't think they've realized their ardor is reciprocated yet, and even if they do, I doubt they'll be brave enough to do anything about it. I think we ought to come up with a plan. Owl me back, and please don't be angry. Harry is the best of choices for Gin, and I know that somewhere in that thick skull, you realize that too. Have a nice day!  
  
  
  
Here, Hermione had reached a standstill. How should she sign it? "Love" was a bit much, "from" sounded impersonal and distant. "Sincerely" sounded stiff. Finally, she scribbled "Love from, Hermione" on it and sent it away with the owl her parents had let her buy while in Majorca. She had named him Socrates, and was kept quite busy in between playing with Socrates and Crookshanks.   
  
As she watched the owl fly away, Hermione smirked. Sure, she would match make Harry and Ginny, but that would just be the icing on the cake. The real plot was to spend time alone with Ron, and if they happened to get her two other best mates together along the way, then the happily ever after would be all the sweeter.   
  
A/N ~ So, what'd you think? Thanks to reviewers are below!   
  
Sarahamanda ~ Thanks!   
  
Moonlightandroses ~ Thanks, I'll update as often as possible. 


	4. The Weasley Reaction

A/N whew I haven't updated in ages, but it's spring, birds are singing, and I'm empty-headed. Well, in my part of the world, it's more like summer, but oh well. At first I felt that if you guys were going to ignore me and not review, then I would ignore you too. But then I started feeling horribly guilty every time I got on the computer, and one person reviewed, which renewed my strength. flexes arm and looks heroic. Anyway, I'm sorry. On with the story.  
  
The Weasley Reaction   
  
Sun rose on the Burrow just as it did every morning, but this morning was somehow different. Ginny got up and took a nice walk around their garden. As usual, the gnomes followed her. She, like her father, couldn't bear to make them go away, so they followed her and picked her flowers to show their gratitude. Ron, of course, usually watched in disgust. The gnomes usually threw things at him, like pebbles, dirt clods, pumpkins…   
  
"Ron! What ARE you doing?!" Mrs. Weasley hollered as she walked into the kitchen at six o'clock in the morning to find her son essentially burning down the house.   
  
"I'm makin' some eggs, toast, waffles, pancakes, tea, scones, ham, and kippers Mum!" Ron cheerily replied.  
  
"Oh, it's so nice of you to make us all breakfast, Ronald."  
  
"All… of… you…? Well, I suppose I could make some more…"  
  
"You were going to eat all of this yourself?" Mrs. Weasley replied disgustedly, gesturing at the amount of food currently making her twelve foot long table bend slightly in the middle. "Well, at least take it outside! And put out that fire, your omelet is burning!"  
  
"Sure thing, Mum!" Ron said, dragging the table outside. He couldn't understand the mood he was in; it was a cross between being extremely hungry (although that was HARDLY something new) and being extremely happy. "Maybe something good will happen to me today," he thought to himself. "Hey Gin!" he called to his sister.   
  
"Morning Ron! May I have a piece of toast?" Ginny asked politely.  
  
"Of course!" Ron said heartily, feeling generous. "Mind you only take one, though, okay?" he added in an undertone. Ginny laughed. Boys and their appetites!   
  
"Wonder why I'm feeling so… nice," Ginny thought. "Oh well, maybe something unusual will happen today." As she finished this thought, an owl zoomed straight into a gnome trying to give her a massage. "What the…" Ginny exclaimed. Ron couldn't hear anything over the sound of the chewing of his burned toast. Even the approximate gallon of marmalade hadn't muffled the noise. Ginny glanced around, then offered Hedwig a spoonful of jam as she opened the letter.   
  
Dear Ginny,  
  
Make sure you read this somewhere private ok? (At this, Ginny got up and ran to another bench, making sure there were gnomes nearby so Ron wouldn't interfere.)  
  
Anyway, I'm writing about something that's been bothering me for years! Don't you think Ron and Hermione belong together? I do. I was hoping I could come to the Burrow and we could concoct some sort of fantastic plan to get those gits together. I know it seems rather far-fetched, but I'm sure your genius could figure it out. Write me back soon, their letters are eating away at my conscience!   
  
Yours,  
  
Harry  
  
Ginny leaned back into the bench and sighed before squealing and running around in a full circle. "What?" she asked a gnome who was looking at her oddly. "I'm not allowed to be a normal teenage girl?" Not even this could damper her spirits though. Finally, she would be let into Harry's life. The barriers had broken, and she was free to explore. "Whoa, we're getting way too poetic here."  
  
"Well, Ron's always kept us from joining the trio, and now Harry TRUSTS me with something! Isn't it wonderful?"   
  
"Who am I kidding? I'm thrilled too! After years of adoration, and an entire year of secretly pining, he asks us to…"  
  
"Well, he didn't ask us out, but that's the next step, I'm sure of it!"  
  
"Yay!"  
  
After doing a dance similar to the one she had done after Harry's trial, she ran into the house and crashed into her mum.  
  
"Mum! Can Harry come to stay?" Ginny composed herself. It would completely ruin her secret if she sounded too eager.  
  
"Of course, Dear. Why didn't Ronald ask?" Mrs. Weasley sounded perplexed.  
  
"Oh, he thinks the gnomes will steal his food if he abandons it for the smallest second," Ginny lied quickly. Now to figure out a way to tell Ron. Once she got out there though, Ginny knew she wouldn't need an excuse. Ron was reading a letter and had on the same dazed expression he had worn after Hermione kissed him on the cheek before his first Quidditch game.   
  
"Oh, Ron, by the way… Harry is coming tomorrow. Just letting you know." Ginny said, as nonchalantly as she could manage.  
  
"Sure… I think Hermione's coming too… We could throw a party… I wonder what kind of cake Hermione likes… and what type of flowers. We should serve mint tea, she loved that when she had it on holiday…" Ron trailed off, obviously lost in his thinking of what Hermione would say if he threw her a party.  
  
"Perfect," Ginny thought impishly. "He'll be so distracted, he won't notice my hormone-induced frenzy." As she wrote back to Harry to agree with him about Ron and Hermione, Ginny thought of her favorite perfume. She had been wearing it that night in detention… After adding some floo powder, Ginny carefully sealed the parchment inside the envelope. She usually didn't use envelopes, but she had no idea how else to transport the floo powder. "This will be the most fantastic summer of my life," Ginny grinned to herself as she sent her reply with Hedwig and walked up to her room to begin planning her outfits. 


	5. A Slight Complication

A/N I got fantastic feedback on that last one! You guys are wicked! Anyway, I've decided to update just because of your absolutely MARVELOUS behavior. I'm sorry, I completely forgot to thank my reviewers from chapter three, so they'll be at the bottom along with the thanks to chapter 4 reviewers. I saw Prisoner of Azkaban last week. It was okay, but Alfonso Cuaron didn't read the books, and you can tell. I dunno, maybe it's my nitpicking. Anyway, I got to see the cast, which included a lot of my favorite actors. Especially blush Rupert. I love those guys. Except Emma, but I think that might just be jealousy. Anyway, on with the fic.  
  
The Dursley Reaction  
  
"Boy! Get down here! You have to, I mean, I'd like you to trim the hedge," Vernon Dursley yelled as pleasantly as was possible for him. The image of that crazy man with the creepy eye was still imprinted firmly in his brain. He was still bossing Harry around, but was being much more careful of his demands these days. After all, the memory of the bill from when Dudley had his tail removed was still fresh in his mind.   
  
"Whatever you say Uncle Vernon," Harry said softly. His reply from Ginny hadn't come back yet, and he had sent it a week ago! He should have left for the Burrow six days ago! In the distance, Harry saw a black speck just as he began to go out the door sullenly. "Probably just an airplane," Harry thought in a rather depressed manner. After a moment, the black speck began getting larger and turning whiter. "HEDWIG!" Harry cried. As she grew nearer, Hedwig turned a somersault in the air and fell directly into the chimney of a house two streets away. Harry, as he sprinted down the stairs, reflected on how draggled her feathers looked, and how thin and weak her appearance was. He burst into the front yard, but only then did he stop to consider his options. After deciding to just go with the flow, Harry crept up to the window of the house. He recognized it as Pierce Polkiss's house, but all the lights were out.   
  
"I wish Sirius's knife hadn't melted in the Department of Mysteries," Harry thought miserably as a pang of grief surfaced at the memory.   
  
"Got to get past that now, Hedwig could be dying!" he thought urgently. "If I could just…Oh!" Harry realized that there was small hole in the side of the window. "Termites!" Harry exclaimed as he remembered the muggle circus-like tent covering Pierce's house. Pierce and his family had stayed at a hotel nearby, and his parents loved to remind the Dursleys that their house was the only perfectly insect-free house on the block. In fact, Harry had seen Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon discussing plans to have their house exterminated too; it was only a matter of making sure the Polkisses were not on holiday at the time…   
  
"If I could just reach the latch with my wand…" Harry said aloud, as he stuck his wand in the tiny hole and jostled it around. "Who says you can't use your wand during summer holiday?" he thought, chuckling a bit to himself. After the small matter of turning the wand to the left instead of facing forward, the latch was lifted and Harry slid open the window. He hoisted himself inside and ran around like a lunatic, searching for the fireplace. He found Hedwig lying in the soot, her beautiful white feathers mottled with black.   
  
"Oh no, Hedwig!" Harry thought as he gingerly lifted her up. "I'll take care of you!" Speaking in a low, reassuring voice, he carried his beloved owl to the window. After making a crude sling out of his jacket, Harry was able to climb out of the window with Hedwig hanging in the equivalent to a hammock by his side. As he ran back to the Dursleys', he cradled Hedwig in his arms and made a plan. He would have to use the Knight Bus to get to Hogwarts. Hedwig needed Hagrid's attention. As he threw his clothes into his trunk, Harry noticed the letter.  
  
"An envelope?" he thought to himself. Opening the letter, his distress was lightened somewhat when he saw that it was from Ginny. And there was floo powder too! "This is a miracle! Ginny sounds interested, I get to go to the Weasley's, and if Charlie is there, he'll be able to help Hedwig!" Racing down the stairs, Harry scraped the floo powder from around the edges of the envelope and threw it into the fireplace. "The Burrow!" he yelled as clearly as he could. Clutching Hedwig to him as tightly as possible without injuring her, Harry felt the familiar strange spinning sensation…  
  
A/N Oooh, wonder why Hedwig was so late, eh? And injured? Cackle  
  
Here are the thanks to my lovely lovely reviewers!  
  
Jamiebell Hon, Ron isn't going to notice anything out of the ordinary; he's Ron. Lol. Thanks for the great advice. I don't know when I'll use it, but you can be sure I will.  
  
Pollywag93 Oh, this won't be the last you see of the gnomes. You can be sure of that. Evil Laughter  
  
Riotgirl2718 Thanks! I read some of your stories too, and they're brilliant!   
  
danschickie That was SO flattering, I almost cried. I truly did. And of course they're the "awesomest" couples. They're the ONLY couples. At least, I like to think so. Tee-hee.  
  
'Mione Weasley Aaaaw, shucks.   
  
Mary-V Thanks! I'm glad you guys like it.  
  
Fairypixie03 LOL! That was so cute, that little "OH!!!" It made me laugh so hard. Anyway, thanks for being so nice!  
  
Thanks guys for reviewing so positively! It's good for my self esteem. giggle blush Ciao for now 


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